


A Tardiness Tolerated

by SeverusSnep



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Light Angst, Mutual Pining, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:53:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26274403
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeverusSnep/pseuds/SeverusSnep
Summary: Hermione is late yet again and Severus is quite tired of it. Will she make it up to him? Will he forgive her this time? (okay, well the title spoils it, but you get the point)
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Severus Snape
Comments: 18
Kudos: 100





	A Tardiness Tolerated

She was never on time anymore to visit him. It irked him to no end. He just knew that she was with those boys. And oh, how he loathed those boys for always making her late to see him. He could very well curse them all into their last days, but then again she would probably never speak to him furthermore if he did that. It wasn’t something he often thought about, but ever since her lateness became more usual he couldn’t deny that the thought had entered his mind. Technically he could make it look like some sort of accident if he wanted to, and Merlin it wasn’t like he didn’t know how… but that was exactly the sort of thinking that was bound to get him into trouble. He reasoned that it would most likely be for the best that he did not hex Potter and the Weasley boy into oblivion, even if that would solve the problem. 

She was quite apologetic when she did show up, though. He didn’t mind that one bit. He would do his best to subtly remind her that he didn’t appreciate his time being wasted, and she would always stay a little late to make up for it. He would never admit that he didn’t mind all that much, as long as she was there. He had also deduced that the more upset he seemed, the more time she spent fussing over him and trying to placate him. He certainly wouldn’t admit to it, but he secretly liked having her fuss over him. He liked that she would continue to do so even when he made tame attempts to dissuade her or shoo her away from him. She was persistent and that’s exactly what he needed in order to be as dismissive as usual. He couldn’t have her knowing that he deeply enjoyed her company, of course not. Who knows what she might think then. He didn’t want to think about it. As of now, she was late. He wasn’t happy about it. 

He resolved to be extra stormy when she did finally arrive, maybe she’d give him a pat on the shoulder if he gave her a stern look. He felt somewhat hopeful, but was quick to deride himself over such a thought. What a lascivious thought, to think of a way for her to touch him. He countered his own stream of scorn by reminding himself that it certainly hadn’t been in a sexual nature. No, he merely enjoyed the casual affection with which she tried to pacify him when she knew he wasn’t happy. It was her own way of trying to win him over. He tried not to let on, but she won him over every single time. He was helpless with her. She could do practically anything he wanted and he’d forgive her if only she patted his shoulder or gave his hand a squeeze. It was pathetic. He found he was constantly scolding himself for being so openly devoted to her. Then again he tried to also remind himself that what he saw to be open devotion was most likely far more subdued in the mind of another. He hoped. Although it might not be so terrible if she knew he was slightly fond of her, might it? 

He hoped she would show up soon. He did very much want to see her. He stunned himself in finding a resemblance between him and that poor departed house elf, constantly attempting to punish themselves over whatever wrongs they deemed they had done. He chuckled to himself. Vexed though he was, he knew that the later she was, the more he could pout about it. When had he become so puerile? 

The door creaked open, signaling her arrival, and he begged himself to restrain the smile that threatened to take hold of his face. She rushed in, paper bag in hand, and immediately started apologizing profusely while attempting to shrug off her coat. She had on the prettiest dress. It was a pale, sage green and sweet Circe did it hug her hips. He pried his mind away from how gorgeous her figure was and gave her his best upset look. She frowned apologetically and came around behind the sofa to place her hands on his shoulders. He had long since abandoned his armchair for the sofa where she also sat. He argued with himself that it was warmer by the fire, but it also meant that she could swat at his arm or touch his hand should the opportunity arise. He tried desperately not to relax under her touch. She rested her head gently on top of his and let her hands smooth over his shoulders for a minute before pleading for his forgiveness in a playful voice. She pointed to the paper bag she had put on the table.

“Severus, I did bring food.” She came around to the side of the sofa to look up and give him her best puppy eyes, “surely you can understand that that stalled me from getting here as quickly as I would have liked?” She pleaded in that goddamned kittenish voice.

She was going to get exactly what she wanted, as usual. He started to wonder if she knew that he was always going to let it slide, or if she really was being repentant. 

“You’re still late, Granger. And you continue to be late when you know I detest such behavior,” he reprimanded, “If you really do have such a lack of respect for our _agreed upon_ meeting time then perhaps you shouldn’t bother to come at all if it isn’t of much importance to you.”

He realized by the look on her face that he very well may have crossed a bit of a line, but he was trying to see just how far he could go to make sure she didn’t think she could simply get away with it. She had frowned rather deeply, looking much more sad this time.

“Severus, you should know that I cherish the time I get to spend with you. It’s not for lack of respect that I’m late, really. I do _try_ to get here on time, but agreed to meet on Sundays and… well Harry and Ron always come over for a bit in the morning. You know, they do always try to keep me for as long as they can, but it’s really only Ron that complains when I say I have to go…” she admitted. 

He stayed silent and continued to glare ever so slightly in her direction.

“Severus I _am_ sorry, oh please don’t be mad with me,” she begged as she came to sit next to him. 

She scooted closer and leaned in, giving him her first hug. He was a bit too stunned to fully process what had happened, but she remained in his arms, muttering how she’d try to be on time. He let his arms wrap loosely around her, not wanting to scare her off. Once again he caught a whiff of baked goods and peaches. She always smelled of that. He knew she liked to bake frequently, but he figured the peaches was her shampoo or something of the like. It was heaven to him.

“It’s okay, Granger. I knew it couldn’t have been your fault. You’re normally good with that sort of thing,” he soothed.

He did feel rather guilty, making her feel bad and for what? Well she had been late. He admonished himself again, it was _him_ that had made her apologize so abundantly with his harsh words. He settled on trying to make it up to her, even if covertly. 

“You know, I do enjoy spending time with you, even if you do arrive late.” He tried, but Merlin it had not come out the way he wanted.

She pulled back to look at him fully.

“You mean it?” She asked pitifully.

“Of course, I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.” He was straining to keep his voice from becoming stern.

His fingers were now only barely brushing her wrist as she hadn’t pulled back very much, and was still so close. She leaned in to hug him again and this time he was ready. He enveloped her in his arms and held her tightly but gently. He so badly did not want to let go of her. He knew it was a selfish thought, but what sweet euphoria would it be to hold her like this for the rest of the night. Hell, the rest of the week even, he exaggerated in his own mind. 

He loved how warm and soft she was against him. He loved the freckles that danced across her face and how they lightly dotted her arms. He loved how she smelled. He loved the sound of her voice, it was so sweet and light, music to his ears. He loved how comfortable she seemed to be around him. It made his chest swell with pride to think that she chose to spend time with him every single week and that she looked forward to it. At least that’s what she always told him. She stayed in his arms a few seconds longer before slowly pulling away, acutely aware of the social cues around hugging as he was not. To her it was a standard long hug, to him it was a salve to his aching heart. He knew he was helpless with her, but he didn’t want to admit it quite yet. 

He hoped that she would see in some way just how much he cared, how much he enjoyed being with her. He didn’t know if it was obvious, but he was afraid to be any more obvious than he thought he already was. Her on the other hand, she was always straightforward with him. She would tell him whether she had had a good day or not. He loved her honesty. She never held up a facade with him and he appreciated how genuine she was. He loved hearing her talk about everything. Her opinions on Ministry politics or the new items at the bakery she frequented. She spoke so eloquently and everything she had to say was of immense value to him. Her intelligence was enchanting and it made no difference whether she was discussing advanced potions theory or her preference in the materials of her jumpers. He savored every word. 

He had heard the term ‘sapiosexual’ long before he met her, but it was only now starting to make sense. Then again, he would deny to his dying days any accusations of him being sexually attracted to her. That was most definitely out of the question. She was a former student after all. He assuredly would not have those thoughts about her. Not even when she was wearing that delicious dress and was now bending over the table to grab the bag of food. Not even as he could have very well reached out and grabbed a handful of her plump arse. Not even as he could have stroked a finger up the back of her thighs. Not at all. Not ever, thank you very much. Even as she sat down and her dress displayed her beautiful neckline and perfectly subtle amount of cleavage. Not that he noticed. Even as her shoulders peeked through the expertly cut, cap sleeves of her dress. He was in complete control of his own mind and he would not let it wander to such salacious places. That was entirely uncalled for and she would surely never visit again if she had even an inkling that he could have thought about her in that way. It was absolutely appalling.

“Severus?” She asked, nose buried in the bag, snapping him out of his… _thoughts_.

“Mmm?”

“You want some?” She was clearly talking about the food, but it didn’t stop his mouth from going dry.

“What is it, exactly?” He had been right about to accept despite not even knowing what it was she had brought with her. 

Of course he would, he would try anything she put in front of him. He didn’t know why, but he just knew that he would. He did trust her, after all. She had brought food before and it was always good. Most of what she brought were things he hadn’t even tried before, but somehow she seemed to know exactly what he would like without him having said a word. There was a lot that she seemed to understand without him having said a word. He liked that about her too. It made him wonder if they were more similar than he had originally thought, but then realized that that was probably wishful thinking as usual. She held up a container with some sort of soup and he nodded his head in assent. She started taking containers out of the bag and setting them about his table for them.

He tried to keep his focus on the food as she wasn’t talking. She was normally talking. He looked at her and she was looking right back at him. She seemed to be studying his face. Before he had a chance to ask her what she was doing, she started,

“What are you thinking about?” She inquired softly.

“I was wondering why you hadn’t been talking,” He confessed.

“Are you mocking me?” She questioned dubiously.

“Of course not,” he kept his tone soft, “You normally have something to say, and I like listening.” he expressed.

She smiled at that. He wanted her to smile again, especially because of something he said. People didn’t seem to smile all that often because of things he said. He also didn’t really care for them to, anyway. He quite liked it when she did. He liked that he could sometimes smile around her as well. She never pointed it out or made fun, she always smiled right back. She could be so sweet and—he stopped himself. This was exactly the problem; without her talking, his mind would run away with itself. He much preferred to give his entire attention to her instead of having his mind run free. It was so much easier that way. 

“Alright there, Severus?” She had been looking at him again.

“Mm, yes,” he replied.

“You looked rather deep in thought,” she commented, placing utensils out next to their respective containers of the still unidentifiable type of soup.

“What makes you say that?” He wondered aloud.

She chuckled and was very obviously trying to conceal a slight blush that had come over her face,

“Well that little furrow between your brows was deeper than usual which only ever happens when you’re irritated or lost in your thoughts. I was hoping, and it did seem to be the latter,” she divulged.

He couldn’t help but chuckle at that before speaking, 

“I was only thinking that I prefer when you’re talking so that I don’t have to think so much.”

She seemed to take offense to that. Merlin, why did he have to be so good at pissing people off?

“Is what I say really so brainless?” She challenged.

“Oh god no, that wasn’t what I meant. I’m sorry,” he paused, glad to see her offense what short-lived, “Everything you say is utterly brilliant, I… er- meant that I prefer to give you my entire attention because I value what you say, I mean… that is… my mind doesn’t wander when I get to listen to you.” He finished with only a shred of dignity left.

She giggled, and he knew exactly why. Never before had he struggled so obviously to find the right words to say, and then stumbled over them so keenly. He could read her face, and his words had both appeased and pleased her.

“You always know what to say to make everything better,” she complimented.

He tilted his head in confusion. What did she mean by that? He seemed to always say the wrong thing, and when he said the right thing it then seemed to come out the wrong way. She giggled at his confusion but spoke before he could,

“Whether you realize it or not,” she started pointedly, “you always manage to say something sweet, and it never fails to make me smile no matter how much of a bad day I’ve had.” She beamed.

His heart was pounding now. He could always make her smile? How wonderful. He decided to burn those words into his memory so he could revisit them later when he would most likely be mourning her departure.

“You’re very kind,” he murmured, unsure of what to say. 

“I meant it,” she assured.

“I’m glad,” he smiled slightly. 

She leaned in toward him again to hug him once more. No complaints there. 

“Thank you,” he uttered. 

Still holding onto him, she replied,

“What for?”

“You always seem to know when to do this,” he acknowledged. 

She hugged him tighter for a moment before pulling back to look at him,

“You make me so happy,” she smiled.

“You make _me_ so happy,” he repeated.

He hoped that would be okay for him to say, considering she had said the same thing. She smiled even brighter in response to his words and leaned forward to quickly plant an unexpected kiss on his cheek. He felt heat rush to his face. Had that really just happened? 

“What a pretty blush you have, Severus. I don’t believe I’ve seen it before,” she winked at him.

That did not make matters any better.

“Well, you’ve never done _that_ before,” he pointed out, trying not to stammer.

“And I’ll do it again if I get to see you blush like that,” she teased.

He swatted at her playfully and she practically tackled him into the sofa, laughing and kissing his cheek even more. He held onto her gently, more so to make sure they both stayed on the sofa, but also didn’t mind keeping his arms around her. He wanted to commit this moment to memory. He had a nagging feeling that this would be the happiest that he would feel for quite some time and he wanted to remember it. She stayed in his arms even after she stopped laughing and incessantly kissing his cheek. He couldn’t, and didn’t quite want to suppress the smile that made its way to his face. It was a real smile this time and not just a smirk. She looked at him with a sad curiosity. His brows creased together in response. 

“I think that might have been the first time I’ve actually seen you smile,” she commented.

His smile dropped. Now she’d gone and pointed it out. He knew how creepy he looked when he smiled, he hadn’t thought that she’d go and say it. Her expression quickly changed to mild alarm.

“Oh Severus! I only meant that I love seeing you actually smile, but now you’re done for because I want to see that handsome smile again.” She wiggled her eyebrows at him playfully. 

“That’s not exactly something to which I’m all that accustomed,” he disclosed. 

“I’d like to change that,” she replied hopefully.

“Well with you being who you are, you probably could,” he answered.

“And just what do you mean by that?” She inquired, a smile still playing on her face.

“I mean you make it difficult to not be happy, it’s really a matter of whether or not I’m suppressing it,” he revealed.

“Well you certainly don’t have to repress that smile around me,” she winked, “I happen to like it.”

He let another one take hold of his face, to which she giggled and smiled even wider. She nuzzled into him again, making it clear that she wasn’t going anywhere. He smiled even though she couldn’t see it. He thought he’d probably be smiling for the rest of the evening because of her, and he didn’t mind it one bit. Even if his face was already starting to hurt from smiling so much. He didn’t mind it. It was almost a nice ache. It matched the ache in his chest that he had for her. He held her closely and could feel the heat radiate off her.

“You’re quite warm,” he remarked.

She looked up at him from underneath those adorable eyelashes and flashed him a cheeky little grin.

“You’re warm too,” she responded before nestling her head back into his chest.

He was worried that she’d hear just how forcefully his heart was hammering against his ribcage, but she said nothing if she did. He was grateful for that. If she had, he’d probably be blushing into next week and that would do him no good. Although he wouldn’t mind making her blush into next week, he didn’t know how but it was a lovely thought. He kissed the top of her head and she let out a little squeak, that squeak she made when she was happy. His heart soared. She nuzzled in again, and he wasn’t sure how much closer she thought she could get to him. But he didn’t mind, he loved this. He loved her. He knew it did, but it was so terrifying to admit. Then again, maybe it didn’t have to be. Taking what felt like the biggest risk of his life, he blurted,

“I love you.”

He was screaming inside his own head. How! What! Why! Did he really just do that? She made a soft purring noise before replying,

“I love you too.”

Surely, this wasn’t happening. She must have hit him over the head and he was hallucinating now. That was the only thing that made any sense. But she really had said it. Maybe she didn’t hear him correctly, maybe she hadn’t understood. He really did love her.

“I mean it,” he assured.

“So do I,” she returned without even lifting her head.

There went his heart again. That blasted thing was going to leap out of his chest if he couldn’t calm down. 

“I love you… a lot,” he added, unsure of how to make sure she knew what he meant.

“I love you to the moon and back,” she purred.

“And just what does that mean exactly?” he inquired.

“It means I love you a lot too,” she responded with a chuckle that made his mouth go dry.

‘But _how_ do you mean it?” He continued.

“I mean I’d live for you,” she explained.

“And what does _that_ mean?” He was desperate for a straightforward answer.

“I loathe when people say they would die for someone. You know, dying can be quite easy. You just _do it_. And it’s going to happen anyway. But living? That’s a true testament to pain and effort. So when I say I’d live for you, I mean I’d go through anything just to be with you,” she concluded.

She hugged him tighter and he gladly reciprocated. 

“I’d live for you too,” he declared.

She looked ups at him, with a smile that seemed as though it would stay there forever, and asked,

“Would you kiss me?”

He chuckled and responded,

“I’d been far too nervous to have attempted it before,” he admitted.

“Well, I’d love it if you did,” she promised.

So he did. She moaned against his lips. They broke apart after an eternity of bliss.

“Thank you,” she whispered breathlessly.

“For what?” He laughed lowly.

“For making my dream come true,” she expounded.

“Had you really dreamed about that?” He asked incredulously.

“Well to be honest, I’d dreamed about you doing a lot more than kissing me, but it’s a perfect start,” she recounted.

He blushed hard at that and she cupped his face and kissed him again. She pulled back, still holding his face in her hands,

“I love you.”

“I love you too… a lot.” The laugh he tried to suppress managed to work its way out.

She giggled and pressed her face back against his chest.

“Could I stay?” She asked.

“You could bloody well stay forever if you’d like,” he responded, his tone comically serious.

“I might take you up on that.”

They both chuckled and he kissed the top of her head. He could feel her smile into his chest and he was somewhat glad that she couldn’t see the stupid smile that had gotten plastered onto his face. As it turned out, it was not the happiest that he was going to be for quite some time, and he had a lingering feeling that this paradise would last a bit longer than just the afternoon. He was quite happy because of it. He had a feeling she was too.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! It means a lot to me. I'd also like to thank my lovely beta, Moonstone, for putting up with my abysmal punctuation. (I'd also like to apologize to my high school senior English teacher for my unforgivable disregard for proper comma and period placement. You would be so disappointed Mr. D😔)


End file.
